Railway roadbed cleaner



Oct. 27, 1942. J. R. sHAFFL-:R 2,300,017

ll-{AILWIU ROADBED CLEANER Filed Oct. l1, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet l 2 0, n my r. 3 @R 2, fm Mm@ n s v m n Rum. m Eww Fc Hm. W Smm .RO Y RYd B ,1mm Lm M NN R 2. 4 9 l 7 2 O @H ,QN u n @.lmN w Oct. 27, 1942. J. R. sHAFFER RAILWAY ROADBED CLEANER Filed out. 11, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 .www

'John E. ,Shaffer Oct. 27, 1942. J. R. sHAFFER 2,300,017 0 RA-ILWAY ROADBED CLEANER v Filed Oct. 11, 1941 5 SIeetS-SheetA INV ENTOR.

John ZI/Slhaffar O ct. 27, 1942. J. R. SHA1-'FER RAILWAY ROADBED CLEANER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 11, 1941 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY ROADBED CLEANER John R. shader, Cumberland, Md. Application October 11, 1941, Serial No. 414,693

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a railway roadbed cleaner and has for an object to provide apparatus which may be drawn along the track rails and will sift foreign matter, dirt and dust, from the ballast (or crushed stone or cinders) of the roadbed and then return the cleaned roadbed material to its former position as the apparatus progresses along the track.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which will be formed 0f a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in View the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway roadbed cleaner constructed in accordance with the invention, in operative position.

Figure2 is a plan view of the apparatus in the position shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus showing the platform and machinery carried thereby slid back onto the supporting fiat car in released or inoperative position.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional View of the device taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the device 5' taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the device taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 2. Figure 7 is a detail cross sectional view taken on the line 'l-l of Figure 2 with the waste deliver i spout swiveled to the position shown in dotted lines in this figure.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the control valve for the pneumatic cylinders which operate the machinery carrying platform.

Figure 9 is a detail sectional view of the track and rollers which support the machinery carrying platform.

Figure 10 is a detail sectional view of the track taken approximately on the line lll- I0 of Fgure 9.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, I0 designates a railway flat car and 9 a trailer of the gondola type railway car coupled to the flat car by a conventional coupling I2. The machinery for cleaning the roadbed is supported upon the flat car and includes a platform II of substantially the length and width of the flat car supported upon the flat car for sliding movement transversely across the fiat car through the medium of a track I3, see Figures 9 and 10, secured to the flat car and housing rollers I4 carried by a rail VI 5 having the base I5 vsecured to the bottom of the platform II,

The tracks I3 are disposed in any suitable location on the flat car to support the weight of the machinery and permit the platform being slid to inoperative released position upon the flat car or to permit the platform being slid laterally to project beyond that side of the fiat car adjacent the conventional six foot space Il between the rails I3 of the railway track upon which the fiat car is supported, and the rails I9 of the companion railway track, see Figures 4 and 5.

The platform II is moved to inoperative or to operative position through the medium of a pair of pneumatic cylinders 20, see-Figures 2 and 3, fixed transversely upon the platform II and each having a stationary piston therein provided with a piston rod 2| 'which is xed to the upper end of an L-shaped bracket 22'. The vertical leg of the bracket is disposed against that longitudinal edge of the flat car most remote from the rails I1 of the companion track. The horizontal leg of the bracket extends underneath and is rigidly secured to the bottom of the ilat car, see Figures 4 and 5. When compressed air is let into one end of each cylinder the cylinder will be moved in one direction on the stationary piston to shift the platform II across the flat car in one direction and when air is let into the other end of the cylinder the cylinder will be moved in the opposite direction on the stationary piston to shift the platform in a corresponding direction across the fiat car.

For supplying the cylinders with compressed air an air hose 23, see Figures 2 and 3, is connected at one end to a pipe 24 which is connected in any preferred manner to the train line of the Work train in which the flat car IG is coupled. The hose is connected to a valve shown best in Figure 8, including a casing Z5 in which a plug valve 26 is rotatably mounted. The casing is provided with diametrically opposite ports which are connected by respective branch pipes 2S and 2l' to respective supply pipes 28 and 25. The pipe 28 enters one end of both cylinders and the pipe 29 enters the opposite end of both cylinders, see Figure 3. The plug valve is provided in its cylindrical surface with oppositely disposed arcuate passages 30 and 3l adapted to connect one of the branch pipes with an inlet pipe 32 connected to the air hose, when the valve is turned in one direction, and adapted to connect the other branch pipe 21 with the supply pipe 22 when the valve is turned in the opposite direction. The casing is provided with avent port 33 through which air is vented from one of each cylinders when the opposite end is being supplied with air, the venting taking place through the medium of the corresponding passage in the valve cross connecting the respective branch pipe with the vent port.

The platform Ii is provided with an elongated recess 34 in that edge nearest to the six foot space Il to receive an endless elevator 35 the upper end of which is pivotally mounted on a shaft 3&3 which is disposed transversely between the upper ends of the legs of an inverted U- shaped frame 3l mounted on the platform near one end of the recess 34. When the platform is slid outwardly over the six foot space Il the endless'elevator is inclined downwardly and forwardly through the recess 355 to dispose a shovel blade 38 integral with the bottom of the endless el-evator, in position to scoop up the material of the six foot space Il of the roadbed to a sufficient depth to load the material to a depth of several inches or more onto the lower end of the endless` elevator, from whence it is carried up on the elevator to be sifted as will presently be described. Before the platform can be slid back to released position on the flat car the lower end of the elevator is raised upwardly and thereupon the platform may be slid back across the platform and the shovel blade may then be lowered through the recess Sii to rest directly upon the fiat car for transportation and storage.

For rocking the endless elevator to raised or lowered positions a rack bar 39, see Figure l, is pivotally connected by a yoke 32, see Figure 2, the lower end of the endless elevator above the shovel blade. The rack bar is held in mesh with a pinion 4i! through the medium of a strap guide ll secured to the standard 42 to which .the pinion shaft :i3 is secured, the standard being mounted upon the platform at that end of the recess 34 nearest the free end of the endless elevator. A worm M is secured to a bracket i5 carried by the standard, see Figure 2, and meshes with the pinion to drive the pinion. A crank handle 46 is connected to the worm. When the crank handdle is rotated in one direction the pinion will lift the rack bar 39 endwise upwardly to lift the endless elevator and when the crank handle is rotated the opposite direction the pinion will move `the rack bar endwise downwardly to lower the endless elevator.

For actuating the endless elevator 35 an electric motor 4l, see Figure 2, is mounted on the platform li and receives its current from any suitable sour-ce of supply such as for example the electric system of the work train in which the flat car lil is coupled. rIlhe motor is geared to a shaft G8 which is mounted in suitable bearings on the platform. The shaft is connected by a beltI drive fig, see Figures 1 and 2', to a stub shaft G which is mounted on the platform and which is connected by a belt drive 5l to the shaft 36 of the endless elevator.

The material picked up by the shovel blade 33 and elevated on the endless elevator 35 is delivered from the upper end of the elevator onto a chute 52, see Figure 6, having a mesh screen 53 forming the bottom of the chute for some distance below the top of the chute so that dust and dirt will be screened out of the gravel or cinders traveling down the chute to be discharged from the chute onto the siX foot space Il of the roadbed.

The screened out material is caught in a downwardly inclined trough 54 which is disposed below the screen 53. The lower end of the trough communicates with a worm conveyor 55 which extends transversely across the platform, see Figure 3, and is suitably supported upon the platform by standards 55. The worm conveyor is driven by a belt drive 5l from the motor driven shaft "i3, see Figures 2 and 3.

The delivery end of the worm conveyor casing is cylindrical, see Figure '7, and forms a bearing 58 upon which the cylindrical intake end 59 of the casing ci) of a worm conveyor 6l, is swivelly mounted. The worm conveyor 6| is supported at its intake end upon a turn table 62 which is mounted on the platform Il so that the worm conveyor may be turned to discharge its contents into the trailer 9, see Figure 1, or may be turned through an arc of degrees to extend back along the platform H, as shown by dotted lines, for transportation and sto-rage. The free end of the worm conveyor 5i is supported by an integral prop 62 which is of suicient length to reach to the platform. r

The worm conveyor 6I is driven by a flexible shaft 63 which is removably coupled as shown at fl to the shaft of the worm conveyor and is geared at the opposite end to the motor driven shaft iS-Sl. The flexible shaft may be disconnected from the worm conveyor to permit the worm conveyor being swung to storage position.

Although the device has been described as intended for cleaning the siX foot space I1 of the roadbed it is also intended to be used for cleaning the birmsof the roadbed and it will also be pointed out that when the device is in use for cleaning the six foot space the platform Il may be withdrawn back onto the flat car to permit a train passing on the companion track.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway roadbed cleaner comprising a fiat car, a platform on the hat car, a track for the platform disposed transversely on the flat car, movable air cylinders fixed transversely to the platform having stationary pistons fixed to the flat car, a source of air pressure, air pipes connected to respective ends of the cylinders, a valve controlling the supply of air to the air pipes for moving the cylinders endwise on the pistons for sliding the platform laterally beyond one side of the flat car, there being an elongated .recess in the platform, an endless elevator mounted at the platform at one end of the recess adapted to eX- tend downwardly through the recess when the platform is slid to its outward limit of movement, a shovel blade on the lower end of the elevator adapted to load material from a railway roadbed onto the elevator as the flat car travels forwardly, means for raising and lowering the elevator through the recess, means for screening discardable material from the roadbed material delivered by the elevator, and means for returning the roadbed material to the roadbed subsequent to the screening thereof.

2, A railway roadbed cleaner comprising a fiat car, a platform on the flat car, means for sliding the platform laterally beyond one side of the nat car, there being an elongated recess in the platform, an endless elevator mounted at the platform at one end of the recess adapted to extend downwardly through the recess when the platform is slid to its outward limit of Inovement, a shovel blade on the lower end of the elevator adapted to load material from a railway roadbed onto the elevator as the at Car travels forwardly, means for raising and lowering the elevator through the recess, means for screening discardable material from the roadbed material delivered by the elevator, means for returning the roadbed material to the roadbed subsequent to the screening thereof, a downwardly inclined trough below the screen bottom of the chute, a worm conveyor on the platform connected with the lower end of the trough, a second worm conveyor swivelly connected at its intake end to the delivery end of the iirst named worm conveyor and a trailer connected to the at car into which the second named worm conveyor delivers its contents.

JOHN R. SHAFFER. 

